The Semi-Annual Open Mic Festival
The semi-annual Open Mic Festival
The purpose of the Open Mic Festival is to honour the many types of speaking that people are required to do and the honour the many approaches teachers are taking to the oral language component of the English Language Arts curriculum.
The Open Mic Festival will give afford three different styles in which to express themselves:
- Poetry Slam – 1-2 minutes
Description: prepared performance poetry on thought- provoking idea using figurative language such as the following: pun, alliteration, personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, symbolism, imagery, and rhyme and sometimes synecdoche, allusion or irony. They often include recurring motifs or metaphors as per examples.
Sarah Kay - Hands
Eric Darby “Scratch and Dent Dreams”
Sarah Kay performs “Jellyfish”
Sarah Kay at the 10th Anniversary Urbana Party
Taylor Mali “Like_you know”
Taylor Mali “On girls lending pens”
Riverside’s 2012 winner Julien Galipeau
a video/speech on Facebook in our lives
Neil Hilborn on OCD
Marshall Souful Jones on technology in our lives
Other good examples are available on You tube (Shane Koyczan)
- This I Believe – 2-3 minutes
Description: a prepared impassioned commentary in prose format on a topic important to the speaker. It may be silly, serious, humorous, satirical or ironic.
Below is a list from the top 25 This I Believe “Essays” as they were read on the radio. Below is a selection but you may choose your own or have students choose a variety.
Home page for “This I Believe”
Top 25 Essays
Lisa Sandin - I Am Not My Body
7 year old Talak McLean - His 30 beliefs
Matt Harding – Connecting to the Global Tribe
- Rick Mercer Style Rant
Editorial or commentary delivered in a convincing fashion. Examples in text form:
Marks
- Slam poetry, Rant or This I Believe format
- 15 marks (Rubric out of 30)
Dates
In-class performances: April 27 and 28
School – Wide: May 6 (grades 11 and 12) May 5 (grades 9 and 10)